PARENTS CAN BECOME FRUSTRATED locating quality art lessons for their children in middle school. Sports programs, as well as dance, piano, and karate classes are plentiful. After all, children must consistently practice something to become good at it. But at a time when the artistic child should be immersed in the richest visual arts experience possible, educational opportunities dwindle.

Our comfortable studio, designed to encourage creative thinking, includes individual work stations, adjustable studio chairs, top-quality art supplies, and a computer loaded with art programs.

For most children, this high-energy age, marked by rapidly developing motor skills, a vivid imagination, and a voracious appetite for new things, is a time when they have less opportunity to formally study art than any other period in their lives. Public schools commonly place art on a rotation with other “fringe” subjects like music, industrial arts, and home economics. As a result, art classes appear on the schedule for only part of the school year. Parents know their talented children could benefit from extracurricular lessons, but find a lack of programs especially for middle school.

Middle School Program
Cherry Court Studios is for children in grades 6 through 9 who love to draw. Classes are small. Lessons suit the unique developmental needs of middle school. This foundation enrichment program will enhance learning that follows in high school and college. Each student is mentored according to his/her unique personality, learning style, and combination of talents. Perhaps one day innovative professionals in many fields will recall Cherry Court Studios as their place for monumental beginnings.

Upper School Program
Upper School at Cherry Court is for students in grades 10 through 12 who wish to progress as far as is possible in these areas: developing a high quality portfolio, discovering the beginnings of a personal style, pinpointing artistic strengths, and preparing for competitions.

Each student at Cherry Court is unique, with a personal range of talents, experiences, interests, and ambitions. This program's goal is to mentor each student based on those qualities, providing an environment of support and encouragement. Emphasis will be placed on setting goals and working to achieve them. Guidance concerning higher education and how to excel at that level will be integrated into instruction.

Fall 2008, Cherry Court Studios will only accept students to the Upper School who have been part of the middle school foundation program. Remedial workshops in Design Fundamentals may be offered in the near future. But it is important for students and parents to recognize that to excel in any discipline, students must begin studies early and practice often, electing both school district classes and participating early in extracurricular programs.